I know what you mean i’ve been using this combo to build furniture, arcade cabinets, VR hotas seats, simrigs etc for at least a year now.
I also modeled my entire basement to scale before VR sketch was a thing, then afterward when VR sketch was release i went in to my model in VR and lined it up with real life and wow it was almost like AR.
It’s VR’s little secret , as the author seems to be not very public about it’s existence while he works on it.
I keep getting $0 receipts for it since it’s free for now, but I fear the day he puts a price tag on VR Sketch. I hope he doesn’t price it absurdly like fusion 360 or other CAD software. Or even worse follow this trend of monthly subscription fee. Because I would be very angry.
The Quest version is even better than the Pimax because it has hand tracking support and its wireless.
I remember my wife wanted me to build a custom piece of furniture but was unsure about how it would look. I modelled it and showed it to her in the bedroom upstairs where she planned to put it , on quest and she was blown away that she could walk around it and decide if the height was good etc.
What’s really cool is that almost everything you can see in the IKEA catalog is downloadable to scale on the workshop so you can really interior design everything.
Now if only oculus will enable developers to utilize passthrough with apps. It would be AR heaven.
Indeed. Commercial CAD modeling programs are absurdly expensive for what they do. SketchUp used to be ‘that free modeling program with limited capability’, and has now become’ another several hundred dollar per year expensive program. Meanwhile major CAD companies are getting rid of perpetual licenses altogether.
When there is Free-and-Open-Source-Software (FOSS) available to do the same job better or almost as well, using that allows a wider audience to participate, and ensures the project’s future later on.
FreeCAD/A2Plus has as much essential parametric sketch/extrude/assemble/etc functionality as any of the proprietary stuff. I build everything with that, knowing that years later, I can change dimensions, and expect the entire model to adapt appropriately.
Thus, why I added GravitySketch/MakeVR to the end of my FreeCAD/A2Plus workflow, and have not yet tried porting my parametric FreeCAD models to VRSketch.
Fusion360 (at least the subscription version) can export to ACIS SAT format, which MakeVR Pro can take as input, with full support for snapping. Fusion360 should also be able to OBJ format, which GravitySketch can use.
Neither MakeVR Pro nor GravitySketch, by themselves, are ideal as standalone CAD programs to create 3D printable models. What they are good for is taking a model that has already been created in something like FreeCAD (or Fusion360 if you must), and then doing things that are best done in VR.
That review ‘abandoned and overpriced’ basically does not appreciate that such tools should be used as part of a workflow, not by themselves.
By contrast of course, VRSketch might be usable as a standalone CAD program. However, because it is proprietary, built on an expensive and locked-in proprietary CAD program, while FreeCAD is Free and Open Source Software (FOSS)… I am not sure I need to go down that route just to add wiring diagrams and rehearse physical assembly.
GravitySketch and ‘Blocks’ have completely different functionality. GravitySketch allows freeform sketch, extrude/revolve, and joining. GravitySketch is most useful for wiring/cabling diagrams around existing 3D models, as I have demonstrated.
For basic furniture, where you may not have or need a library of custom parts, exact length aluminum extrusions, etc, you might be better off with just FreeCAD, or with VRSketch.
However, as an example…
What I might do, is get an accurate model of the stuff that goes on that furniture - maybe roughly draw a box in FreeCAD to represent a VR headset dimensions for example. Then toss those objects around GravitySketch, freeform drawing timbers/shelves, for the furniture. Then maybe go back to FreeCAD, create some exact length 2x4 timbers, shelves, etc, and either assemble them with the A2Plus workbench, or toss them around MakeVR.
I should have some good video footage showing how I used both GravitySketch and MakeVR. I will try to start working on putting that together tomorrow.
Not so much. FreeCAD → Converter → MakeVR is three steps to do what VRSketch does.
Meanwhile, VRSketch/Sketchup could end up costing $50/month/user, saving me a couple of steps…
GravitySketch, virtual clay modeling, etc, do things entirely different from what VRSketch does, so those separate programs would have to be used anyway.
I am not so sure that is necessary for me. Most of the time I need something like a NEMA motor, GrabCAD has it. If I need something like a 2x4 timber, or aluminum extrusion, either I have it already modeled, or I can create it in about one minute…
Haha, only if all three steps take equal amounts of time.
For any complex part, >>90% of the time will be 2D parametric sketching. FreeCAD is good at this. Relatively little time will be spent in VR with the Converter, or MakeVR,
Let me explain. VR Sketch is cool and all you can actualy model in VR.
However what I aim to do (I havent gotten around to it yet.) is use desktop portal or some other overlay software
in conjunction with VR sketch to have Sketchups desktop window in VR to work with whike at the same time being in VR seated right next to my model at the same time.
Mind trip I know.
Maybe i might whip together my Old Razer nostromo and strap it to my left arm Power-Glove style so I can actually leave my desk and walk around while I design.(A 10 keyless wireless ducky mini keyboard might work better in this regard)
The right controller will act as a mouse.
I would do this with the pimax but frankly ibdont need the FOV when modelling and the index controllers and HMD are quite cumbersome.
Im going tobtey this wirelessly with the quest 2 and then with the G2 when it arrives.
Such a workflow is already possible, with ‘SketchUp -> VRSketch’ , or FreeCAD -> Converter -> MakeVR or GravitySketch .
Put a rotatable office chair on wheels, or on a linear slide like I do. Now your desk, keyboard, etc, is on one side, roomscale is on the other.
XSOverlay is the desktop overlay program you want.
VoiceAttack macros will allow you to construct/destruct overlays/applications as appropriate. Unquestionably my voice commands are the absolute best things anyone has for this right now. Much better than strapping a macro keyboard to your arm.
Don’t count out FOV, at least not if you plan to do assembly or 3D sketching. Being able to glance around can help maintain a sense of spatial orientation and keep all the relevant parts of the model viewable while drawing or assembling. Also, some accessories may be a lot easier to experiment with if everything doesn’t have to be wireless. Wireless is not really necessary for this, good cable management is.
Where such a setup really gets weak is the inadequacies of switching applications or dealing with physical objects in your VR workspace, for which SteamVR is to blame. Having to restart SteamVR is much worse than immersion breaking. Being able to find a real keyboard, mouse, desk, and chair, while wearing the VR headset, even with marker overlays or crude camera passthrough, is difficult at best.
So the amazing VR Cad Modelling plugin for SketchUp called VR Sketch. Has hand tracking support on Quest. But I asked the developer if they would consider adding hand tracking support fr Leap Motion via Pmax , and well you can see their response here
seems like a good opportunity to get some serious developer support if they were sent one.
It doesn’t have to be an 8KX I’m sure even an Artisan would be enough.
